The Pac Back

Comments about Cheeky Monkey Designs LLC. The Pac Back(TM):

I thought this was great for lugging our Britax Diplomat through airports, but it basically fell apart after a few uses. We still use it with duct tape holding it together (no, really). We are not frequent travellers, and I expected better longevity for the price. Good idea, poorly executed.

Comments about Cheeky Monkey Designs LLC. The Pac Back(TM):

I bought mine second hand, and it was in great shape when I got it. I used it many times when traveling with my son, especially when it was just the two of us. Once I got the hang of it, it was easy to strap and unstrap the carseat onto the pac. It is still in great shape. The only issue I had was that because car seats are bulky, I had to keep in mind how I turned so as not to hit anyone. I generally took it off before boarding the plane so I didn't knock anyone in the head as I made my way up the aisle.

Comments about Cheeky Monkey Designs LLC. The Pac Back(TM):

I bought this for our recent trip to Europe. The concept is great. It's easy to use and keeps your hands free to deal with kids and luggage while walking through the airport and down the airplane aisle. However, the quality is very poor. The hip strap ripped when we got off our first flight. We got this repaired at our destination, but on the way home the fabric on one shoulder strap ripped when we got off the last flight. I had hope after all the previous comments that the quality had improved by the time I bought it, but no such luck. I love the concenpt, but I can't recommend this item until they use sturdier fabric and better seams.

Comments about Cheeky Monkey Designs LLC. The Pac Back(TM):

The straps holding the car seat to the back board aren't idea. First the top strap should be top STRAPS. Anyone with a car seat can tell you that most of them have a rise in the middle. If you have one strap over the top, and a rise in the middle of your seat, you can guess what happens. It slips to one side or the other. Same issue with the horizontal straps, most car seats are contoured in some way, so the strap was constantly moving and not really secure. Again, it would have made sense to design this thing and then test it out on several different car seats before selling it.

The bottom line, it works, just not really that well. They could make a few design changes and have a really great product.

Comments about Cheeky Monkey Designs LLC. The Pac Back(TM):

We recently traveled by plane for the first time with our 1 1/2 year old son and this car seat backpack came in so handy. My husband was able to carry the car seat through the airport and keep his hands free to carry some of our other bags or push our son's stroller. We also used it a few times while on vacation to carry the car seat back and forth to taxi cabs. The pack itself is very light and easy to store when you are not using it. I highly recommend it!

Comments about Cheeky Monkey Designs LLC. The Pac Back(TM):

Hard to remember that the big car seat is on your back. Airplanes are small spaces and when trying to get to your seat it was hard not to bump into people.

Comments about Cheeky Monkey Designs LLC. The Pac Back(TM):

This is the greatest product I have ever bought. I traveled by myself with 2 kids. My busy 18 month old needed a seat on the plane and needed to be in his car seat. I am 5'2" and I didn't even notice the bulky carseat on my back navigating through the airport.My hand were free to do whatever I needed to do to take care of my 2 kids. Very easy to get on and off @ security and at our seat on the plane. I was nervous going up the aisle on the plane as I am so short and thought I would bang into people but I was fine. I got lots of comments @ the airport from carseat carrying parents as to how they were going to get this product. I would highly recommend this product to anyone needing a carseat on the plane and need free hands going through the airport.

Comments about Cheeky Monkey Designs LLC. The Pac Back(TM):

Bought and used this for car seat travel on several trips. On the first few, when it was still in good condition it was a life saver. Wearing the car seat on our backs kept needed hands free, and getting through the airport was much easier. On our most recent trip at least two of the straps simply ripped off making it no longer wearable. Our car seat was well within the weight limits.
If this product was better made, and stronger it would be perfect, as a life saver when it works.

Comments about Cheeky Monkey Designs LLC. The Pac Back(TM):

Bought one product and used it once and it was great, with the exception that one of the straps seemed to be tearing. Bought a second one for another trip. First one, on second use, shoulder strap shredded and needed to be patched with clear duct tape to get us home. Second new one, plastic buckle cracked making product useless. I think the product is a great idea, but has serious quality/workmanship issues.

Comments about Cheeky Monkey Designs LLC. The Pac Back(TM):

I read alot of negative reviews about this product. I still purchased it because I knew I won't have enough free hands to manage everything during my air travels with my two and a half year old. It proved very handy when it came to carrying the carseat but it literally started tearing at the seams after that 1st use. It proceeded to fall apart after 2 more uses. If you choose to purchase this product I would highly recommend having gaffers or duct tape handy for a quick fix.

Comments about Cheeky Monkey Designs LLC. The Pac Back(TM):

This is the second PacBack that we own. On the first, the stitching came apart at the seams after 2 uses. Before using this one we reinforced the shoulder straps and did not have any problems (yet).

Comments about Cheeky Monkey Designs LLC. The Pac Back(TM):

This is a must have for parents of more than one small children that use airports. We went to a foreign country and needed a car seat for our toddler as well as two strollers and multiple bags. There was no way we were going to make it without this to carry the heavy car seat. The only con is watch out other people. Very wide, long load on one's back. But well worth it and you will get stopped by many to ask where you got it.

Comments about Cheeky Monkey Designs LLC. The Pac Back(TM):

Made an overseas trip with our 21-month-old. Had previously lugged our Graco SnugRide travel system w/ us as car/plane seat. He's too big for that now so we bought the Pac Back and a booster seat w/ 5-pt harness for this trip. This combo was much easier to use and carry. Perhaps a tad uncomfortable after 2 straight days of flight connections and customs lines, but would not discourage me from using.

Comments about Cheeky Monkey Designs LLC. The Pac Back(TM):

We bought this product last year when I was to be traveling by myself without my husband to cart the seat through the airport. It is a great idea. It worked the first 3 times we used it. The next two flights we noticed that the straps were starting to frey. Then as we got home on that last flight and were getting into the car one of the straps broke. I had my mother-in-law who has access to heavy-duty sewing machines fix the stap and re-strenghten the rest of the straps. I also has her re-strengthen the shoulder staps too, which were starting to frey also. I just used the re-strengthened pack on a recent trip and it worked great just like the first time. I would give this item a 5 if the material was stronger and lasted longer then 4 flights.

Comments about Cheeky Monkey Designs LLC. The Pac Back(TM):

I used the PacBack for an airline trip with two layovers. I can't imagine taking the trip without it--having the carseat on my back was so much easier than carrying it by hand would have been. But, similar to other reviewers, I was dismayed to see that by the end of the trip the webbing was already starting to fall apart at the shoulders even though I was very gentle with it.
Despite the materials/construction concerns, I would still recommend the PacBack; however I'm now going to start the process of pursuing an exchange or refund since I might not feel secure using it for a second trip.